The clean-up job was easier than most years at Circular Quay on New Year’s Day.Rhett Wyman
Michael Pell will return to Sydney after contracting COVID-19 during a holiday to the US.David McKelvey
Emerald City is told theSunrise EP and his partnerDaniel Burgess-Wise were due to fly back to Sydney in time to ring in the new year by hosting a star-studded bash at their Vaucluse mansion. Friends close to the couple say the pair contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of their trip to the US despite being double-vaccinated and diligent with wearing masks.
Despite contracting the virus,the pair made the most of the trip after completing isolation,attending the opening ofKaty Perry’s Las Vegas residency,and had a quiet new year in Palm Springs. The couple is understood to be returning to Sydney on Monday after testing negative for the virus twice.
Meanwhile,newly engaged reality star coupleMartha Kalifatidis andMichael Brunelli revealed they’ve been struck down by COVID-19 and are currently isolating in Melbourne. The couple recently returned from Los Angeles but were confident where they’d caught the virus,given they had tested negative on arrival back in Australia.
“We started to get symptoms late night on the 26th,we did have a big Christmas gathering and feel like we could have contracted it there,but there was a close contact on our flight,” the social media influencer told Emerald City.
“It’s not all that bad tbh[to be honest],we’re already on the mend and feeling better,” she added.
From Palmy to Portsea,how Aussie 2 percenters are holidaying
With rich-listers ruling out international travel during the summer break,a surge of wealthy Australians descended on coastal havens Palm Beach and Portsea.
Glamour couple Suze and Alan Eskander were forced to cancel the $750-a-head event at Shell House.Getty
An elite yachties’ enclave-meets-insular peninsula surf spot,the Palm Beach is a summer playground on the northern beaches for the rich,famous and staunchly private.
Julia Roberts turned heads on Christmas Eve when she hit the beach with her family. ThePretty Woman star is understood to have rented a cliff-top retreat for summer despite being back on the Gold Coast filming alongsideGeorge Clooney.
Qantas chief executiveAlan Joyce has been spied pounding the pavement between the Christmas and new year’s break – he owns a stunning waterfront property overlooking Whale Beach for a measly $5 million.
SportChamps bookmakerAlan Eskander and his stylist wife Suzy are also holidaying beachside;Emerald City is told the couple rang in the new year with Shell House foundersBrett Robinson and wifeAnna Hewett. The couple,who opened Sydney’s hottest venue,announced they were cancelling their $750-a-head New Year’s Eve soirée due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney.
Seven’s $7 million man CEOJames Warburton and his wife,Audi’s chief marketerNikki who purchased a $4.25 million weekender opposite the surf at Palm Beach,have also been spotted soaking up the sun.
Eastern suburbs royaltyJosh Penn and Ben Palmer lapped up coast views from the family’s cliff-top estate that boasts a nine-hole golf course.
Meanwhile in Portsea,Emerald City is told the coastal towns have been inundated with COVID-19 thanks to the city’s holidaymakers. Local hotspot,Portsea Surf Club was forced to close due to close contacts days after Christmas.
Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula is a playground to Melbourne’s elite.Jessica Shapiro
Melbourne coachSimon Goodwin celebrated with a post-Christmas-cum-birthday knee’s up on Boxing Day at the Sorrento hotel where many of his premiership-winning players were in attendance.
But COVID-19 hasn’t scared everyone from getting out of the city;Toorak Plastic surgeonChris Moss and wife ex-Real Housewives starAndrea were in town,while Eddie McGuire andBrendan Fevola were spied at the Portsea pub.
How the who’s who rang in 2022
Victorian restaurant owner Hayden Burbank,the grand final border-breacher made the most of his exit from prison.Nine news
Dina Broadhurst and partnerMax Shepherd hosted the hottest party in town at their rustic Vaucluse mansion that boasts harbour views and an enviable art collection.
Emerald City is told there were more than a few sore heads that stumbled home in the wee hours of January 1. The guest list included the who’s who of Sydney fashion including model bookerJaz Daly, stylistCaroline Tran and Venroy founder and MDSean Venturi all partied the year away.
Due to the Ashes wrapping up on day three of the five-day test,cricket commentator and spin kingShane Warne was spied numerous times looking down on his luck at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Emerald City is told Warney wasn’t hitting any flops at Crown’s poker room on consecutive evenings between Christmas and the new year. However,he did manage to crack a smile come New Year’s Eve at St Kilda’s Espey hotel.
Fresh out of a WA prison,grand final border-breacherHayden Burbank managed to celebrate his freedom days before NYE. Burbank’s mum Annette hosted an intimate event for her son at his Toorak home. The party continued on NYE where friends say the bar owner held court at his Chapel Street venue Morris Jones.
Meanwhile across town,the sweltering heat didn’t stop Arbory Afloat from being the go-to venue beside in Melbourne. International DJ Edd Fisher was behind the decks beside the Yarra River,Postcards presenterMadeleine Slattery did a live cross during the countdown and Lord Mayor Sally Capp was spied enjoying sundowners to see out the city’s year from hell.